This invention relates to seating furniture, and more particularly to seating furniture such as a chair, which incorporates certain movable components that can be moved to different positions according to user requirements.
A conventional reclining chair typically includes a base in combination with a seat and a back, which are interconnected with the base. The back is mounted to the base for reclining movement. The seat is typically mounted in a fixed position relative to the base. The article of furniture may include an extendible and retractable footrest, which may be movable to varying positions by operation of an actuating handle that controls operation of a ratchet-type actuator for positioning the footrest in varying angular positions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an article of furniture, such as a chair, in which the seat and the back can be positioned in a coplanar, upwardly facing configuration, in which the seat and the back are positioned generally horizontally so that the seating furniture can be converted to a sleeping configuration. It is a further object of the invention to provide an article of seating furniture which includes a back reclining arrangement that enables the back to be moved to varying angular positions, and which provides synchronous raising of the seat when the back is lowered, and synchronous lowering of the seat with the back is raised. It is another object of the invention to provide an article of seating furniture which incorporates a unique frame configuration for providing reclining movement of the back and for synchronously moving the seat with the back. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an article of seating furniture which includes a footrest that can be moved between extended and retracted positions, and which can be selectively maintained in one or more intermediate positions between the extended and retracted positions. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an article of seating furniture in which a footrest positioning mechanism provides positive positioning of the footrest in predetermined angular orientations relative to the seat, and which is relatively simple in its components, construction and operation. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an article of seating furniture which can be converted to a bed configuration in which the seat and the back are generally coplanar, and which can be moved to a Trendelenburg position in which the head area of the back is below the foot area of the seat. A still further object of the invention is to provide an article of seating furniture incorporating a uniquely configured actuator for providing selective operation of certain movable components of the article of seating furniture, such as the reclining back mounting mechanism and the Trendelenburg feature. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an article of seating furniture in which the actuator provides a flush mount construction, so as not to have protruding components and not to detract from the overall aesthetic appearance of the article of seating furniture.